Man gets 7 years for forcing stepdaughter into prostitution to pay cell phone bill

Friday 06th February, 10:08 AM JST

WAKAYAMA —

A 47-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday, after being found guilty of violating the Anti-Prostitution Law and the Child Welfare Law when he forced his stepdaughter to engage in prostitution in February last year.

According to the Wakayama Family Court, the stepfather had his stepdaughter, then 15 years old, engage in indecent behavior with a man in a hotel in Wakayama City in February last year, and had the man deposit money in the stepfather’s bank account. The court said the stepfather told the girl her cell phone bill was too high and demanded she go out and make money, even if that meant selling her body.

Judge Shigeyu Sugimura said in handing down the ruling: “All I can say it is extremely despicable and brutal for a parent to treat their child as a money-maker and outlet for sexual satisfaction.”

The Wakayama Family Court sentenced the girl’s 37-year-old mother to three years and six months in prison in December last year for her role in forcing the girl to engage in prostitution.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 36 Total Comments Show All

Apsara at 04:14 PM JST - 6th February

There's a possibility she has family members who would take her in. It's not too much of a stretch, is it?
Yelena at 04:39 PM JST - 6th February

I am proud to Japanese laws pretecting the Child's rights, it looks like they really works. In Russia it is absolutly useless, as a result childreen are unpretected.Bravo!
sensei258 at 06:20 PM JST - 6th February

At least they got some jail time. What about the people who kill children and get suspended sentences?
grafton at 09:11 PM JST - 6th February

Only working from the above story try this for an idea. The girl simply wanted rid of her parents so set the whole thing up, paid money into the stepfather’s account & then informed on the two of them. I don’t think it’s true but given the information in the above story it could be. But then this is JT, simple stories for…………..
MeanRingo at 09:54 PM JST - 6th February

7 years? Isn't that also the penalty for murder in this country? Hmmmmm. Perhaps that is only for murdering a family member.
Molenir at 10:38 PM JST - 6th February

All I can say here is, that he should be on his knees thanking his lawyers and the judge for not being given more time. Given his crime, he certainly deserves it. And since the mother obviously knew, and chose not to protect her daughter, she deserves what the father got as well.

Apart from Murder, there is very little else worse then child prostitution. Think both parents got away with a light sentence for this hideous crime. Just glad the girl had the strength to report it to police.
oppaiSAN at 12:52 AM JST - 7th February

What surprises me is that the perp hasn't been subject to any legal ramifiactions after the inital child ramification. Unless its not in this clip like suggested above. Need more info...
Smythe at 07:41 AM JST - 7th February

Pretty hard to back one side or the other. Especially the way children are using their cell phones, to Credit Cards then asking (or should I say "asking" or should I say "demanding" the parents to pay the full amount which is also looked upon as what the children are "asking" the parents.

In turn it is pointing that the parents are loosing control of their childrens doings.
helloklitty at 07:38 PM JST - 7th February

When are we going to hear how much the cell phone bill was?
toadold at 02:54 AM JST - 8th February

Children who have been sexually abused by family members are difficult to take care of. Child Protective Services in Texas has been having a lot of problems with it. A regular foster parent setting can't offer enough counseling and treatment to get them back to normal children. If they are lucky they get placed into specialty children's homes. It is kind of like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome for a lot of them.
the_sicilian at 07:06 AM JST - 8th February

What gets me is the typical J-court disparity in the sentence. Mom gets half the sentence. Why?

And the 15 year old is living where? And has to pay for her phone how? Hmmm

Ciao
Speed at 07:25 AM JST - 8th February

Why is it that parents get 7 YEARS for murdering their child and get 7 YEARS for pimping their 15 year old girl?

I'm sorry, but a little baby being brutally beaten to death because "it was crying" is a much more heinous crime.
Triumvere at 07:37 PM JST - 8th February

Well, hope you're happy. Picked up a little extra cash in exchange for 7 year of your life. You'll be 64 when you get out. Hope it was worth it!
Triumvere at 07:37 PM JST - 8th February

Edit: 54
PepinGalarga at 02:44 AM JST - 10th February

i dont think you would get 7 years for pimpin' in the USA... there's the three strikes thing, right? i assume its this guy first strike. got away lucky.